Milk-vat.



i MLM/8MM No. 898,888. i PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.8l

, 8 A. F. STOE'LTING.

MILK VAT.l

APLIGATION upm 8.188.118.1908.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

r r L -1 wihwooeq PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

A. F. STOB'LTING.

MIL'K VAT.

APPLICATION HL'ED APR.16.190B.

2 SHEETSfSHEET 2.

ADOLPII F. STOELTING, OF KIEL, WISCONSIN.

MILK-VAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed April 16, 1908. Serial No. 427,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH F. STOELTING, of Kiel, Wisconsin, have invented a Milk- Vat, of which the following is-a specification.

This invention relates to a vat suoli as is used for heating milk in the process of making cheese and my object is to provide animproved joint for the seams of such a vat which will be stronger and at the same time simpler than those heretofore used in this character of vat. I further design to provide an improved outlet which will have the advantage of strength and simplicity.

My invention may best be understood from a consideration of the following description of one form thereof taken in connection with the accom anying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a p an view of the vat embodying my invention. Fig. 2 a longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane 3. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the center-joint on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a transverse section therethrough taken on the plane 5. Fig. 6 is a plan on an enlarged scale of the outlet casting and joint, the end-sheet being omitted. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofl one of the center-joint castings. Fig. 9 is a perspective of the outlet casting. Fig. l() is a front elevation of an alternative form of outlet casting for use in fiat-bottom tanks having no center seam; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged transverse section through the center of the bottom of the vat on the plane 11.

In these drawings every reference letter and numeral refers always to the same part.

The vat, which in its .general form is in common use, comprises in its, construction an external 4or water-holding vat A supported on posts B at the sides, and transversely by means of wooden girths C. The vat A is of rectangular form and may be made in any referred manner, not being a part of my invention. On its upper margin is a rectangular wooden frame l), on which rests the marginal flange e of the inner or milk-vat E, which is likewise rectangular in form and is made up in four side and bottom sheets e2, united together by a longitudinal seam e3 and a transverse seam e4, both of which constitute a part of my invention, being speciallyformed as will be presently described, also two endsheets ci united to the sheets e2 along the end-angles of the vat. It will be understood that when the vat E is still empty and water run into the tank A, the upward pressure of the water on the bottom of said tank E will cause it to bulge upwardly unless supported, and to this end I rovide transverse beams made up of channe s F and wooden strips G which-are secured on the ends of upright ribs I-I at intervals along the tank, and longitudinal planks I are inter osed between said beams and the bottom o the tank E whereby the latter is supported against internal pressure.

It has been a difficult matter to get a solid form of joint for the seams e3 and e4, subjected as they were to considerable variations of pressure and to alternate internal and eX- ternal bulging stresses; wherefore I have sought to provide a tighter and stronger form of joint than the old flanged riveted joint heretofore used. Such a oint requires considerable longitudinal stiffness in order to maintain itself tight, and I have found that the flanged joint does not offer sufficient stiffness owing to its liability to buckle, which in turn causes opening of the seam between the rivets.

As best seen from Fig. 5, in my oint I provide one of the meeting-sheets c2 withla fastening-flange e6, and the other with a U- shaped bend e7 enveloping the flange a; and I further prefer to reinforce the joint by inserting between the flange e and bend e7 a U-shaped strap of sheet-metal es, thereby so thickening the joint as a whole as to make it practically impossible for the joint to buckle. The joint is finished by rivets e passing through all the laps thereof at sufficiently frequent intervals, and hermetically sealed by pouring in solder. The full lengths of the seams e3 and e4 are thus constructed along the bottom, except at their point of intersection, where an additional reinforcing means is necessary, and means enabling the crossing of the two joints to be effected without leakage at that point. To this end I introduce a pair of castings J ofT-shape as shown in Fig. 8, the central leg of the T being divided longitudinally by a slot or saw-cut j extending nearly to the outer face jz. All four limbs of the T thus formed are of an angle-shaped section, as clearly shown in the drawing, the upper surface being flat, and are plrovided with rivet holes js suitably spaced a ong the side-faces thereof. These two members are secured on opposite sides of the longitudinal seam e3 as shown in Fig. 4, the ends of the seams e4 being first inserted into the slots-j with the sheets e2 projecting over the face jz to form the seam e3; and when thus inserted, the two arms y are brought together by riveting through the holes js and clamping them so as to tighten the seam and reinforce the same. Then, the longitudinal seams e3 being formed, the two members J are brought together with the faces jz opposed and the whole riveted together b y rivets e9 passing through the holes 33. When this is done the oint will be rigid and nonleakable. In order to further strengthen the seams, especially the longitudinal seam e3, I provide a plurality of hook-bolts M which engage in holes ew in the seams, and passing through suitable apertures in the channels F are securedby means of nuts m, on the under side thereof, holes g being made in the beams G for this purpose, as clearly shown in Fig. 11.

In the case of my im roved outlet I provide an outlet-casting I Fig. 9, which has a flange c on one end adapted to abut upon the end-sheets e5 at one end of the vat, and to be secured thereto by rivets k2 passing through holes 7f3 therein. The casting K has a tubular threaded portion 7c4 which also passes through a hole in the outer vat A and is nonleakably secured thereto by means of two nuts M which engage the screw-thread thereof and clamp the margin of the hole in the vat A between them. From the face of the flange In projects a long bracket-arm r which is divided in the center by a slot 7C adapted to receive the end of the seam e3 in the same manner as the slot y" receives the seam e4, the two limbs of the bracket-arm 265 being then hammered together and connected by rivets, and the whole soldered over. The face 7c has a groove k7 therein along the junction of the projection 765 for the seam between the pieces e2 and e5 of the vat. It will be clear that the casting K forms a most strong and convenient manner of arranging the outlet so that there shall be no leakage between the outlet and the vat.

In some cases it will not be necessary or desirable to have a longitudinal seam e3, and where this latter is omitted I may use the outlet casting without any central slot 7c in the form K, as shown by Fig. l0. I may also make various other changes and variations in the construction without departing from the spirit of this invention, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a sheet-metal milk-vat, a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a flange formed on the edge of one sheet by bending an edge-,strip thereof at right-angles, a U-shaped bend formed on the edge of the adjacent sheet and embracing said flange, and rivets securing the whole together. i

2. In a sheet-metal milk-vat, a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a flange formed on the edge of one sheet by bending an edge-strip thereof at right angles, a U-shaped bend formed on the edge of the adjacent sheet and embracing said flange, a U.shaped metal strip inserted between said flange and bend, and rivets passing through all five laps of said seam and securing them together.

3. In a sheet-metal milk-vat, a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a flange formed on the edge of one sheet by bending an edge-strip thereof at right angles, a U-sh'aped bend formed on the edge of the adjacent sheet and embracing said flange a U-shaped metal strip inserted between said flange and bend, and means securing the several laps of the seam rigidly tofrether. b 4. In a sheet-metal milk-vat, a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a flange formed on the edge of one sheet by bending an edge-strip thereof at right-angles, a U-shaped bend formed on the edge of the adjacent sheet and embracing said fiange, a pair of rigid bars of angleshaped section set in the angle between each sheet and the seam, and rivets passing through the seam and bars and securing the whole rigidly together.

5. In a sheet-metal milk-vat, a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a flange formed on the edge of one sheet by bending the edge-strip thereof at right angles, a U-shaped bend formed on the edge of the adjacent sheet and embracing said flange, a lll-shaped metal strip inserted between said flange and bend, a pair of rigid bars of angle-shaped section set in the angles between each sheet and the seam, and rivets passing through the seam and bars and securing the whole rigidly together.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, in combination with sheets having intersecting seams which stand at right angles to the plane of the sheets, reinforcing-means for said seams at the point of intersection comprising rigid stiffening bars of angle-shaped section which are located in the angles between the sheets and seams on allsides of the latter, and rivets passing from side to side of the seams through said stiflening-bars and securing the whole together.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, in combination with sheets having intersecting seams which stand at right angles to the plane of the sheets, reinforcing-means for said seams at the point of intersection comprising rigid stiffening bars of angle-sha ed section which are located in the angles etween the sheets and seams on all sides of the latter, rivets assing from side to side of the seams throug said stiffening-bars securing the whole together, and solder hermetically uniting the whole together.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, in combination with metal-sheets having seams intersecting substantially at right angles, said seams comprising flanges standing at right-angles to the plane of the sheets, a pair of stiffenin -mem ers each having a T- shaped form an the center-leg of eachT being slotted and receiving the end of one of the seams inthe slot thereof, and rivets passing through the two branches of said leg and the seam and securing the whole together; the two outer faces Q2) of the respective Ts lying on opposite sides of the other seam and rivets passing through saidfaces and seam and securing the whole together.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, in combination with metal-sheets having seams intersecting substantially at right angles, said seams comprising flanges standing at right-angles to the plane of the sheets, a pair of stiffening-mem ers each having a T- shaped form, the center-leg of each T being slotted and receiving the end of one of the seams in the slot thereof, and rivets passing through the two branches of said leg and the seam and'securing the whole together; the two upper faces (jz) of the respective Ts lying on opposite sides of the other seam, and rivets passing through said faces and seam and securing the whole together, and a fusible alloy hermetically uniting the several sheets and seams and stiffening pieces.

10. In combination with an outer vat and an inner vat, an outlet member of tubular form united to said inner vat and passing through a hole in said outer vat, and means for hermetically sealing the hole in said outer vat in a removable manner said outlet member having an arm projecting under and united to the bottom-sheet of said vat.

11. In combination with an outer vat and an inner vat, an outlet member of tubular form united to said inner vat and passing through a hole in said outer vat and means for hermetically sealing the hole in said outer vat in a removable manner; said outlet member having an annular face united to the endsheet of said vat and a bracket-arm projecting under and united to the bottom-sheet of said vat.

12. In combination with an outer vat and an inner vat, the latter having a seam alond the bottom thereof, a tubular outlet-member hermetically united to said inner vat ang projecting through a hole in said outer vat and hermetically united thereto in a temporary manner said outlet-member having an annular face hermetically united to the endsheet of said inner vat and a bracket-arm projecting from said face end and united to the bottom of said inner vat; said bracketarm being longitudinally slotted to receive the flange of said seam, and rivets passing from side to side through said bracket-arm and seam and rigidly uniting the whole together.

13. In combination with an outer vat and an inner sheet-metal vat, said inner vat having a longitudinal central seam and a hole in the end-sheet opposite the end of saidseam; a tubular outlet member having an annular face hermetically secured to the end-sheet around the hole thereof, and a screw threaded tubular portion passing through a hole in the end of said outer vat; and a air of nuts on said screw-threaded portion cfam ing the edge of the hole in said outer vat etween them and forming a temporary hermetic joint; said outlet member having further a bracket-arm extending from said annular face beneath the bottom of said inner vat,

said bracket-arm being longitudinally slit ;V

said longitudinal seam comprising a rectangular flange on the edge of one sheet and a U-shaped bend on the other, the whole forming a rectangularly extending flange which is received in the slit of said bracket-arm; and rivets passing through said arm and seam from side to side and uniting the whole rigidly together.

14. In a milk-vat, the combination of a seam between sheets of metal for the bottom thereof comprising a iiange formed at rightangles to the plane of said bottom, a fixed object below said seam, Vand a hook-bolt engaging a hole in said seam and secured to said fixed object.

15. In a milk-vat, in combination with a sheet-metal bottom, having a longitudinal seam at right angles to the lane of said bottom, a transverse beam be ow said bottom, and a hook-bolt engaging in a hole in said seam and secured to said beam.

16. In a milk-vat, in combination with a sheet-metal bottom therefor having a longitudinal seam between the edges of the sheets said seam comprising overlapping folds on the edges of the sheet, a fixed object below said seam, and means passing through said seam and securing it to said fixed object.

17. In a milk-vat, in combination with a sheet-metal bottom therefor having a longitudinal seam between the edges of the sheets, said seam comprising overlapping folds on the edges of the sheet, a transverse beam secured to said vat below the bottom thereof, and means passing through said seam and secured to said beam.

18. In a milk-vat, incombination with a Isheet-metal bottom therefor having a longitudinal seam between the edges of the sheets,

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this' 11th day of April, 1908.

ADOLPH F. STOELTING.

said seam Comprising overlapping folds of the edges of the sheet, a transverse beam secured to said vat below the bottom thereof,

and a hook-bolt engaging a hole in said seam y 5 and having a shank passing through a hole in Witnesses:

Said beam and a nut on the lower side of the RICHARD KIEL,

latter. M. E. SURPLICE. 

